God’s word is encouraging. God’s word is healing.
There are words I want to say and pain I wish I could take away from the world. Being an empath in such a broken system is heavy and exhausting work.
“How do they do it?” I’ll wonder..
The people in politics. The preachers on the pulpit. The teachers who get the brunt of it. The owner of the company. The child that struggles with abandonment.
How did Jesus do it? How did Jesus trust that God was who He said He is?
The common denominator found in the people I’ve known personally in these seats, is God’s word.
Have you read directly from the Bible or pulled up the daily scripture lately? Here’s one of my favorites recently.
“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”
Philippians 1:9-10 NLT
I didn’t always know that the Bible was life giving. Actually, I spent much more of my life doubting, even arguing that the text was too small and the content was boring.
Little did I know, God is living and breathing life into every single word that was written.
You can hear it in a song. You can read it on a bumper sticker. There’s multiple apps for it.
People are working on ways to make God’s word accessible. To the deaf communities and to the blind. To the nations worldwide. God is using His people to make bibles for kids. For the surfers. For the poor and for the sick.
For those of you who doubt or don’t know the power of the word, have you ever tried to sit with it up close?
Has it ever made you feel curious that so many people, from all walks of life, have dedicated their entire heart to studying and reading this book after all this time?
There must be something there.
You can doubt. You can argue. You can even throw it across the room if you can’t stand it.
I’ll let you in on a little secret, it doesn’t bother someone who follows Jesus how you feel about.
We, as true followers of Jesus are simply asked to share it.
When I think of sharing, I think of a gentle, and almost intimate exchange. The way you’ll see me sharing God’s word may look very different from the ways you’ve encountered it before.
No matter how you receive it, you are given a choice to accept or deny it. We are all given this choice every time we read it.
Those of us who share God’s word, are not given the power to judge how people will react. Though some of those who share it have a way of making others feel like that.
I’m not speaking to one side or the other, I’m thinking of the whole world.
The way we are responding, right now, to God’s word, is between us and God.
Over the course of this week, when I’ve found myself at a loss for words, I simplified my feeling or need into one, and paired it with a scripture I’d found.
Courage
“You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”
“Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.”
“But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!””
Fear
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Protection
“Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.”
“Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone.”
“Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.”
Peace
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.””
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16 NLT
Love
““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud”
1 Corinthians 13:4 NLT
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT
War
“Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.”
“Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
“He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.”
I encourage you to try this exercise. With a pen or in your phone notes, write a single word related to how you’re feeling or what you need, and then search it on the YouVersion Bible app, or the index of the physical Bible you have.
My hope is that God‘s word speaks to you in your time of need. May that be now or in the future. God will offer His wisdom the moment we are open to receive.
Makenna Curtis
Faith, Family, & Entertainment Writer
Local Pulse Pensacola
